Monday, August 15, 2011

How To Choose a Cigar

The world of cigars is a large daunting place. To be perfectly honest, I'm tired of answering the same questions over and over so I made this info-graphic. After the widespread success of my "How to Tip in a Bar" I figured it was worth a shot.

zippo is the same type of fuel as a tourch just make sure you use a filtered fuel Robinson is not a filtered fuel. zippo fuel is so it is fine it is not about the lighter but the fule that ue use I use zippos all the time and smoke cigars every day there is no diffrence from a zippo and a match

Zippo is lighter fluid just like Bic. Filtered or not it still has a taste. Butane, good filtered butane, Xikar or something comparable is odorless and tasteless. You can get Z+ inserts for a Zippo, which is a butane torch like any other. Regular old Zippo is no good.

Incorrect. The zippo he is referring to in the chart is a liquid naphtha "wick" type lighter, the original "windproof" zippo. Naphtha is what you think of as "lighter fluid," and comes in liquid form in a plastic bottle with a squeeze nozzle. As the naphtha burns, the by-products of its combustion have a distinctive odor and do, in fact, impart a flavor to the cigar if you've got the experience to taste it. If you're using this guide, you probably don't, but the advice to avoid this type of lighter for cigar lighting is sound unless you like the flavor of petrochemicals. Bic lighters are butane lighters, just like most of your "torch" lighters. Butane is sold pressurized in metal cans, and is visible in fuel level indicators as liquid...because it's pressurized. Don't have the time or desire to give you all a physics lesson here, but go ask a high school teacher or try the Googles. Bic lighters are simply not refillable. The difference between a jet flame and a traditional flame is based on the method by which the butane is released as gas and ignited. Plenty of very good quality refillable lighters are available with a traditional flame. Torch lighters are handy for some, but many prefer the less hot traditional style. The bottom line is this: butane good, naphtha bad. If your lighter is filled with a fluid (in its unpressurized form), don't use it for cigar lighting. For example, if you have to pull the outer shell off your zippo, lift a felt pad, and pour stinky liquid into a reservoir, there's your clue. If you have a Bic or a lighter which you press a gas canister into and toggle to let it fill using the pressurized gas, you're good to go.

The wrapper doesn't necessarily determine a light, medium or full-body flavor. Montesino (by Fuente) makes a great, light to medium maduro and you can get Cains in a habano wrapper. The flavor profile depends on the filler, binder *and* the wrapper. The way it's portrayed on this infograph is a tad misleading.

One of my top ten favourite brands is Acid (and anything by Drew Estate, such as the Java line) and they're all technically flavoured but will still kick you in the balls if you're sitting down with a Deep Dish or a giant Ordinary Larry.

Agreed wholeheartedly! I said as much in my reprinting of the image on ClassyCigar.com, where I posted it originally (my post: http://www.classycigar.com/2013/05/xtra-classy-cigar-choice-infographic.html#more)

Are you blatantly ignoring the word "generally" which appears in my disclaimer twice.

This is a primer on cigars. A beginners guide. If you know enough about cigars that you can nitpick about wrapper color then your tastes are clearly more developed than the reader I am catering towards. I am well aware that the wrapper color does not constitute a 1-1 translation of flavors, in fact some of my favorite smokes are delightfully misleading, like the 262 Paradigm or the Perdomo Reserve Champagne Noir, but I have found that people understand things more clearly if the information is not complicated with exceptions.

That is spectacular, I have written articles for our monthly newsletter here @ Cigar! Cigar! and have covered several basic topics etc, however it is nice to see it in a flow chart like this good work.

This is a good guide for a first time smoker, nothing more. Hahaha A Gurka, RP, you seriously smoke Flavoured Cigars? What are you smoking? Oh wait.. I just answered that question. Hey I'll catch you later while I light my Acid with a cedar strip and drink some turpentine, goodluck ever being as cool as me.

And for anyone who is actually interested in smoking cigars; ordering Cubans in the states is easy to pull off, do a little searching on the net.. If you want something Nicaraguan that you can buy legally Oliva or Padron are great choices. The smokes on this chart will bore you after you develop a palate.

The "lighting a cigar" section fails to explain improper ways to light up, other than "don't use a Zippo." Even that is misleading, since Zippo makes butane lighters and conversion kits for their standard models.

Basically, you don't want to lit up with any kind of kerosene lighter (e.g. standard Zippo or Bic, etc.), because the fuel will taint the flavor of the cigar. Butane lighters are fine, because butane is "clean" (flavorless and odorless).

When using matches, try to use wooden matches as it says in the graphic, as opposed to cardboard matches. However, with any matches, wait for the flame to leave the match-head before lighting up. Lighting from the match-head may impart sulfur flavors.

Yes, it's not perfect but it does the job pretty well. Like Grant responded himself: it's FOR beginners. PLUS, it's a graphic that would be ruined with a bunch of disclaimers and long explanations to the sides (just see the amount of text on your snob comments). That does not belong on a flowchart. Good job, GDAII!

Supreme and Clipper cigars are made by the same company and they could not be more different! While Supreme cigars cost more than that of Clipper, the latter is available in more number of flavors. Overall,, both Supreme and Clippers filter cigars are favorites of smokers all around the country.